All Blacks Pick Up a Cup on Way to Europe

A chapter ended and two more began. Closure came with the end of the 2008 Bledisloe Cup series, won 3-1 by New Zealand thanks to a second-half performance that stood in stark contrast to their tatty first.

The new was provided first by the fixture itself, a trans-Tasman Test shifted to the outer reaches of the South China Sea. Hong Kong now stands not just as the hub of the 7s circuit, but as a new trading post on the international scene. Might the Lions warm up here one day on their way to Australia or New Zealand?

The other sense of fresh beginning was created by the sense of stop-off in the tropics for two teams en route to our cold northern climes. This was just an introductory match to a November of the All Blacks and the Wallabies flogging themselves around Europe. There were signs of excellence; there were moments of frailty. There were aspects to worry Europe and elements to give the old continent grounds for optimism.

Australia had by far the better of the first half. It wasn't just that the configuration of Dan Carter at inside-center, with Waikato's Stephen Donald at outside-half, looked like an experiment best abandoned right here and now, but also that Matt Giteau on the other side was in sublime form. And Luke Burgess as his scrum-half looks one to mark closely.

As long as Giteau had the ball in hand, Australia looked capable of winning. As early as the sixth minute, he was taking on second-row Brad Thorn in broken play and slipping the sweetest of passes to Drew Mitchell, who scored between the posts. In these early minutes, New Zealand had no shape beyond a vague notion to run the ball from deep. They ran into nothing but trouble and their skills suffered accordingly. Sitiveni Sivivatu's hands looked fragile, AliWilliams boomed passes into emptiness, and in general there was a totally uncharacteristic lack of precision.

They stayed in touch because Giteau couldn't keep the ball off the floor for the whole half. At the breakdown, Richie McCaw delayed release and the rest of the forwards attacked the situation with their utterly characteristic aggression. Australia struggled to control the rucks they set up.

And they struggled to scrape the ball back at the scrummage too. Every time there was a scrap for the ball on the floor - at the bottom of the breakdown, or the tunnel of the scrum - Australia suddenly looked anything but masters of possession. They gave away penalties, two of them kicked by Carter.

Still, with the ball safely above ground, in their hands, Australia struck again. Ryan Cross made ground in midfield, Mitchell down his touchline, a movement building patiently until suddenly the ball started bouncing around as McCaw tackled the winger and Adam Thomson, on as a blood replacement for Rodney So'oialo, nearly ripped it clear.

Instead it fell back into Wallaby hands, in particular - and only for a fraction of a second - into George Smith's. The wing forward gave and took in half a stride, and Mitchell was over again.

Carter kicked a third penalty, but the threat of an All Black try was summed up by Donald's chip from a scrum in the Australian 22, a set-move that was easily covered and smothered by Burgess.

It was the end of All Black inadequacy. In the second half, Donald stayed on long enough to see the scores leveled, Carter combining with Conrad Smith, Isiaia Toeava and finally Sivivatu in a passing movement that had an elegance and swiftness of its own.

And then Carter took over at 10. It didn't instantly lead to total control - Toeava, for example, ran elusively one minute, only in the next to have a kick charged down in his 22 - but Australia's creativity was reduced, almost to zero.

The winning try came when the All Blacks successfully chased a 22 restart and went all the way down field. Carter's little grubber was collected by Ma'a Nonu - on for Donald - before Sivivatu floated a long pass out to his unmarked captain.

There was still a chance for Giteau to create something out of that near-zero, slipping another beauty of a pass out of the tackle to Mitchell. Carter was covering and bundled him into touch.

When play went the other way, to Peter Hynes on the right, he was tackled and nobody on his side arrived for a good four seconds. In the tropics, the Wallabies had come to a standstill.

So, on they both come, heading our way, the All Blacks on a grand-slam mission around the home unions, Australia hoping to bounce back, first in Padua against Italy. Both will be better for this ground-breaking game under their belts; both look some way off unbeatable.

Hong Kong Stadium:39,682RefereeAlan Lewis (Ireland)

Australia:Ashley-Cooper, Hynes, Cross (Barnes 53), Mortlock (capt), Mitchell; Giteau, Burgess; Robinson, Moore, Baxter (Dunning 71), Chisholm, Sharpe (Waugh 65), Mumm, G Smith (Pocock 74), BrownTries: Mitchell 2 Cons: Giteau 2

New Zealand:Toeava (Jane 75), Gear, C Smith, Carter, Sivivatu; Donald (Nonu 49), Cowan (Weepu 51); Woodcock, Hore (Mealamu 5), Tialata (Somerville 65), Thorn (Boric 65), Williams, Kaino (Thomson 72),McCaw (capt), So'oialoTries: Sivivatu, McCaw Pens: Carter 3